Marcos says gov’t ‘working hard’ to upgrade maritime sector: ‘We have to get it done’

Marcos says gov’t ‘working hard’ to upgrade maritime sector: ‘We have to get it done’
Prince Golez December 12, 2022 https://politics.com.ph/2022/12/12/marcos-says-govt-working-hard-to-upgr...

The Philippines is doing everything it can to meet the standards set by the European Union (EU) for the education, training, and certification of seafarers, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said Sunday.

The EU early this year threatened to ban Filipino marine officers on EU-flagged vessels due to deficiencies in local seafaring training and education.

About 50,000 Filipinos work on EU-flagged ships, mostly from Malta, Greece, Norway, and Germany, data from the Maritime Industry Authority showed.

“Everybody in the industry is working very hard… We have 600,000 plus marino all over the world right now. We don’t want to put them in bad place,” Marcos Jr. told reporters onboard PR001 en route to Belgium.

“I think that we will do everything that we can. We cannot leave it hanging like this. This is our last chance so we really have to get it done. The whole industry is working to make it happen,” he added.

The EU told the Philippines in February to step up efforts to comply with the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification, and Watchkeeping for Seafarers.